Iron and Spice
by Curious6
Summary: A series of GenexPepper drabbles and oneshots.
1. Impulse

**Impulse**

**The beginnings of a relationship that alters the trajectory of Gene's fate.**

The school bell rang shrilly in the hallways and students began to bustle hurriedly to their classes. _Ugh_, I groaned internally and leaned my forehead against the inside of the cool metal lockers momentarily before slamming them shut.

_Is it too late to change my mind?_ I wondered rather spitefully to myself as I joined the hordes of students into a classroom. I glanced around and took in the faces of the many oblivious average faces surrounding me.

Everyone looked…unfamiliar. I scanned the room again and frowned in disappointment_. I don't see him._ I sighed and suppressed a frustrated groan as a woman who was presumably the teacher entered the room.

_Too late now._ I groaned and took a seat in the back, placing my books underneath a long table. I folded my hands underneath my chin and leaned forward, waiting.

I heard a series of giggles coming from the front of the room. I directed my attention toward a group of wide-grinned girls sneaking obvious glances at me.

I cocked my eyebrow at them and frowned, but that only caused their giggling to grow louder and more frequent.

Great. Fifty minutes of _that_ and rehearsed nonsense about applicable sciences.

_Fucking hell._

"Late again, Mr. Stark?" I looked up sharply toward the door. Tony Stark stood at the doorway, a backpack slung over his shoulder and a clutter of books tucked away in his other arm. He grinned at the teacher charismatically, but she wouldn't have any of it.

I stretched my arms behind my head and rested my back against the hardwood chair, finally at ease. _Well, it's about time._

"And company." The teacher presumed, and my eyes flickered to the two students who followed behind him. "Sorry, Mrs. Daniels." The boy behind him grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head as he followed Tony quickly down the aisle.

"Nice one, Rhodey." Tony murmured and he received a harsh jab to his side. "Do either of you have a pass?" Mrs. Daniels asked them pointedly, to which Tony jabbed his finger in the direction of the doorway.

I took notice of the other student who was still standing at the doorway, waving a slip of paper in one hand and tucking the other into a jeans pocket.

When I first laid eyes on her, I felt something turn in my stomach. I felt sick, but not in a disgusted sort of way. I felt…nervous almost; it was strange.

Her hair was a bright—and I mean _bright_—shade of deep red cropped closely to her shoulders. She was of average height and had a curvy, yet petite frame with long, slim legs. And, even from all the way in the back of the room where I was sitting, I could sense she had a cool, sophisticated air about her that seemed to just draw people in toher.

At first she didn't notice me, but then I saw her look in my direction as if she felt herself being watched. I raised my eyebrows and felt my jaw slacken slightly when her large eyes met mine. I let out a low whistle under my breath. _What a __woman__…_

"Hey, man, I think that guy's checking Pepp out. He must be new." Tony's companion sniggered and I broke my gaze to glare at him. "Wait, don't I know you…?" Tony interrupted him, stepping closer to inspect me. His eyes narrowed, then brightened up as he recognized me.

"Gene Khan, your father owns the antique shop." Tony grinned, taking a seat by me. I felt a surge of bitterness creep up my gut as I instinctively corrected him, "My _stepfather_, yes," I smiled back at him a bit too widely, feeling more than several looks in my direction.

_Fuck_. I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. _I must be doing a stunning job at blending in, _I thought dryly to myself.

"It's good to see you again, man. What are you doing here?" He asked me cheerfully. "Just transferred here, actually. It's good to see you too." I answered honestly. "Take a seat, Ms. Potts. And _can it_, Mr. Stark." Mrs. Daniels announced testily. "You can talk to our new student _after class_."

The girl hadn't moved from her position by the door and her face looked somewhat troubled. I saw her shake her head slightly to herself as she made her way to the back of the room by us.

"Hey, new kid, I'm Rhodey." I peeled my eyes away from the girl's face and forced myself to face Tony's friend, who took the remaining seat next to him. "Gene Khan," I nodded, plastering a smile on my face.

Tony turned as the girl approached them and stopped by his desk. "This is Gene." He introduced me to her, smiling. Her eyes flickered to mine and froze as she stared me down. She looked curious, albeit somewhat suspicious of me.

"Gene Khan." I repeated softly, formally introducing myself. She nodded slowly, her eyes briefly leaving mine to examine me again, and I took a moment to appreciate her uniquely colored irises. They were a strange shade of light olive speckled with darker green; I had never seen anything like them before.

When she looked back up at me she was smiling softly, seemingly satisfied with the prospect that I wouldn't bite. I felt my chest tighten as she offered her name in a sweet, melodious voice, "I'm Pepper; Pepper Potts."


	2. Salt and Pepper

**Salt and Pepper**

**Gene returns after his betrayal nearly a decade ago, but he isn't intent on earning his friends' forgiveness and Pepper is none too keen on giving it.**

Pepper opened her eyes and blinked several times before realizing she was awake. Her body felt strangely numb and disconnected from her. "Wh…Where…?" She attempted to sit up, but her muscles simply wouldn't respond to her brain signals.

A hand touched her cheek and she looked up, focusing in on the face above her. There was a man kneeling down and leaning into her face. She scrutinized his face as her vision cleared and was able to make out black, coal-like eyes.

Pepper exhaled slowly and reached up to touch the man's face. "Is that you, Tony?" She murmured more to herself than to him, and he brought his other hand up over hers. "Hey, Pepper." He voiced softly, stroking her cheek.

She opened her mouth to speak but paused suddenly, and furrowed her eyebrows. "I don't… I can't remember what…or where…" She stuttered, and Tony nodded in understanding. "I know, which is why you need to wake up." He explained, and she only stared at him, at a loss for words.

"Pepper, wake up." He repeated, but the words didn't seem to be coming out of his mouth. She stared at him questioningly but he only stared back at her urgently. "You have to—"

"Wake up!" A voice shouted, shocking her back into reality. Her eyelids flew open and she let out a loud, strangled gasp. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears and all see could see ahead of her was people screaming and running in frenzy.

Someone leaned over her and smoothed out her hair. She blinked until the light faded in her eyes and she was able to see properly. "Tony?" She mumbled incoherently to herself, but she saw Rhodey leaning into her face, his eyes were frantic with apprehension.

A spot of blood dripped onto her cheek and she grimaced, touching a hand to her face. "Oh, I'm sorry, Pepp—" He spoke in a hushed tone, smearing the blood away from her face with his thumb. It was then that she noticed the long, deep cut on his forehead.

"What's going on?" She heard herself ask him, her words heavy and slurred. "You're going to be OK." Suddenly Rhodey's voice was barely audible above the chaos as she took in her surroundings. Pepper heaved herself onto her elbows and her head began to swim. She ached all over; why did her body feel so goddamn _heavy_?

A loud crash sounded from across the room and people immediately began to scurry towards the exit like wild ants. Rhodey tried to lay her back down but she fought him off.

"Where's Tony?" She mumbled feebly, pushing herself up and attempting to stand. Her limbs felt like lead and her arms were very nearly useless against her sides. She growled and kicked her heels off as her ankles began to feel weak. "Nnn—"She cringed as she felt a growing headache pound against her skull.

_What the hell happened?_ She rubbed her temples, trying to piece the memories back together. Her eyes followed the destruction in the hall—overturned chairs and tables, broken bits of plates and glasses—to the hordes of screaming guests. _Wait—guests. Guests?_

"Watch it!" Tony's voice startled her, and she whirled around in hopeful relief. Before she could utter a single word, however, she was thrown back by a massive blast. The entire hall shook, threatening to collapse, and her back hit the wall with a resounding thud. "_Pepper!_" Rhodey shouted to her from a distance. She slid to the ground, arching her back with pain, and let out an exhausted moan.

"Stark!" A familiar voice yelled, and her chest tightened in alarm. _That voice…Why can't I place it? _She clutched her head suddenly and inhaled sharply as memories of the incident came flooding back to her. They were at a dinner—no, they were hosting a charity dinner when there was an explosion, and…_he _appeared. She followed the direction of the voice with her eyes slowly as a shudder crept down her spine.

There was a man clad in a black tuxedo facing opposite Tony, who looked frazzled and beat up. The man's hair was jet black, much like Tony's, except it was slicked back smoothly to the side. What unnerved her, however, were his piercing jade eyes. They didn't quite see her yet, but she knew fully well how much power they held over her.

His face was longer, leaner, and she could the hint of a five o' clock shadow along his jawline. Her eye caught the color of his tie, a bright, beautiful shade of scarlet much similar to her own hair, and she felt her face burn. He looked taller, much more built, and naturally older.

"Gene," Her throat constricted and she suddenly found that her breathing had become much more labored. She forced herself to swallow her panic and steady her breathing. Seeing him now hurt her more than ever, but a part of her knew that one day it would come to this. She gritted her teeth and pushed herself up. It didn't matter now; nothing had changed.

Gene laughed crudely and opened his arms to Tony, taunting him. "Come on, give me a _real _challenge." Pepper strode towards them, her footsteps light and quiet amidst all of the shouts and screams. She eyed a centerpiece on a nearby table and slipped behind a pole to conceal herself. "All right, let's figure out exactly what the hell's going on…" She murmured, wrapping her fingers around a vase and positioning herself so that she could observe the fight while staying hidden.

Tony wiped a streak of blood from his mouth with his free arm and lifted his other one at Gene. Pepper's eyebrows rose in surprise as she noted the technology attached to his arm. The Iron Man armor was fixed onto his left arm from the elbow down, with the laser on his arm pointed at Gene's face.

"That's enough." Tony warned him through clenched teeth. "How much damage are you going to cause before you know when to stop?" Gene's grinned devilishly, clearly taking up the offer. "Let's put that to the test, shall we?" He lifted his hand and his rings came into clear view. Pepper's heart shot to her throat as he summoned magic through his rings, preparing to strike.

Tony stepped back hurriedly, his arm up to deflect the attack, just as Pepper dove into view. She quickly and silently stepped forward, raising the vase high above her head to strike Gene. Tony's face betrayed him as he faltered, lowering his arm so as not to deflect the attack onto Pepper. She held her breath and brought the vase down as hard as she possibly could over Gene.

He sensed this as she held her breath, however, and he spun around to snatch the vase up in one hand and catch her arm in the other. He instinctively pulled her to him, his eyes flashing, and she felt her breath catch in her throat. Gene froze when he saw her face and, at their close proximity, she could have sworn she saw his pupils dilate.

"Pepper," He murmured, his eyes scouring every inch of her face as if he hadn't seen her in years. Well, they hadn't seen each other in nearly a decade. And they didn't exactly separate on good terms. She couldn't—and wouldn't—do much to hide the scowl on her face, and he tilted his head at her, amused.

"You look upset." He stated questioningly, and she flashed him a seething glare, her eyes blazing. Her lips were pursed into a tight line, her jaw clenched; she didn't trust herself to speak.

"Get away from her." Tony growled and Pepper tried to wrestle herself out of his grip, but he held her tightly in place. She could feel Gene's eyes lingering on her and she did her best to avoid his gaze. He briefly looked over to roll his eyes at Tony and turned back to Pepper, who looked highly uncomfortable from where he stood.

"What, you don't remember me?" Gene teased her, his eyes sparking playfully. She raised her eyebrows slowly and stared at him with dead seriousness. This time her anger overpowered her fear. She opened her mouth, ready to let out a string of curses at him, but Tony cut her off before she was given the chance.

"Hands off, Gene. Last warning." Tony informed him shortly, lifting his arm up towards Gene again. Gene tugged Pepper closer to him none too gently, and she stumbled forward unwillingly. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and she felt a familiar sense of insecurity. She quickly brought her hands up to his chest before he closed the space between them.

"Let me help you remember." He murmured, a wicked smile on his face. He leaned into her face and all sense in her vanished as panic overtook her. _Get away!_ Her mind screamed at her, but her hands lay idly on his chest. She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling completely immobilized, and wished she could simply will everything away.

Suddenly Gene froze and whipped his arm up to catch something in the palm of his hand. He growled, his face still inches from hers, and she could feel his breath on her face. He took her by the shoulder and pushed her back, separating them. She took this opportunity without any complaints and stepped away from him quickly.

He tossed the object high up into the air and it exploded, causing Pepper to jump at the unexpected blast. "Rhodes," Gene growled, rounding on them. She took another hasty step back and felt something steely touch her shoulder and whirl her around. A pair of arms embraced her, winding tight around her head and her waist, and she instinctively tensed up.

"It's OK," A familiar voice assured her gently and relief washed over her. "Tony!" She wrapped her arms around him and let out a shaky sigh. "Rhodey, that was too close." She heard Tony hiss. "Tell me about it." Gene snarled from across the room. "You could have hurt her," Tony continued, and she broke away from him to defend Rhodey's actions.

"No, _he _wouldn't have let me." Rhodey reasoned, referring to Gene. There was a short moment of terse silence where Tony and Gene locked eyes and exchanged hateful glances. Pepper didn't dare move; she felt far too uncomfortable with this entire situation—especially when it revolved around her.

"That's it—we're ending this. _Now_." Tony stretched his arm out and the armor that configured around his arm continued to expand up his bicep and shoulder. "Much obliged." Gene muttered sarcastically, and he pulled out the remainder of his rings to slip them on each of his fingers.

Rhodey took Pepper by the arm and led her away from them gently but firmly. "_No,"_ She protested, shooting him a warning look. He hesitated, but didn't release her from his grip. "He's right, Pepper. You can't stay for this fight." Tony informed her through gritted teeth, his steely eyes still glaring Gene down.

Rhodey stepped closer to Pepper, touching her shoulder softly, and murmured quietly into her ear, "At least not until we suit up." Her eyes brightened up a little as the prospect settled in her mind and she nodded her head to herself.

The movement didn't go unnoticed by Gene, whose lips slightly curled upward s in response. He tilted his head, his eyes fixated on Pepper. "I'll be waiting, precious." He mouthed slowly to her, and her eyes hardened at him. She spun on her heels, making towards to the exit with Rhodey, and muttered sarcastically, "Don't wait too long."


	3. Carnations

**Carnations**

**Gene and Pepper spend their honeymoon together in Gene's home back in China.**

**::**

A/N: I don't know jack about Mandarin Chinese, and this was a poor attempt from half a year ago. Let me know if I'm being offensive, please.

tian xing = "wake up"

我的心愛 - wo de xin ai = "my darling/beloved"

woe mun shwae jiaw = "let's sleep"

lan duo cong" (懒惰蟲) = "lazy bug"

wo xiang = "I want to"

亲爱的你 (qīn ài de nǐ) = "my dear" / "my darling"

**::**

Pepper groaned as she awoke to a dull, almost heavy throbbing in her ears. "Hrmghh—" Her voice grew an octave as she whined through the linen pillowcase. The ringing in her ears continued and she buried her face further into her pillow in an attempt to block out the noise.

A hand smoothed out the curls from her forehead and she breathed out a small huff of air. "Tian xing," The voice cooed, and she stirred. "Wo de xin ai?" The voice asked with a hint of worry this time.

"Woe mun shwae jiaw…" She drawled sleepily, too tired to perfect her accent. _Go back to sleep,_ she grumbled in her head. There was a chuckle above her and she felt a hand slip down to stroke her cheek. "_Lan duo cong_," She heard and she scrunched her eyebrows together, trying to translate the words in her mind.

She peeked out from the pillow and gave a mini glare through her hazy vision. She met Gene's affectionate gaze with a stubborn pout and he leaned his weight onto his elbow to lie down next to her. "What's wrong?" He sifted his hand through her frizzy tresses, a coy smile on his face.

"Lan du-oh kang." She sounded out and he stared at her patiently, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "You called me a bug." She rounded on him accusingly and he raised his eyebrows at her, his smile frozen on his face. Suddenly he sputtered out a laugh and she jumped a little in surprise.

He retracted his hand and coughed in an attempt to subtly conceal his laughter at her expense. "_Lazy_ bug," He corrected her with a wide grin and she felt her cheeks burn slightly. She smiled nonetheless; she didn't get to see Gene this relaxed very often.

She reached out to him and scooted closer to his side. "Mmm?" He curled an arm around her waist and glanced down at her appraisingly. She briefly stared into his gray eyes and he cocked his head at her, a questioning look in his eyes.

"It's nothing." She murmured, settling for resting her head down against his pillow. "All right," He kissed the top of her forehead and pulled the blanket up to drape it her body. She exhaled slowly, contentedly, and nestled herself against his body.

He paused, opening his mouth to speak, but reconsidered his actions. He started again, "You don't have to try so hard if you don't want to, you know?" He murmured against her hair, tugging at her short, curly locks nonchalantly.

She buried her head closer into his neck, smiling. "Wo xiang…" She paused, unable to come up with an appropriate verb, and settled for simply saying "I want." His lips tugged upward at her response and he tilted her chin up towards his face.

"Qīnàide," He brought his lips to hers and kissed her briefly before she pulled away. "Chin ah—ayda." She repeated. "What does that mean?" She asked him curiously, their noses just barely touching. His eyes crinkled at the corners as a small smile lit up his features.

"Just another nickname," He curled his hand to the back of her neck and pulled her to him. She complied, curling into his chest.

She could get used to this.


	4. All That We've Known

**All That We've Known**

**Pepper and Gene spend time with their baby boy.**

Virgil whimpered and squirmed uncomfortably in her arms. "Sshh, sweetie. It's okay, it's okay." Pepper crooned softly, propping him up against her shoulder and stroking his back softly. He whimpered and nestled his head into the crook of her neck, but quieted down nonetheless.

She let out a small exhale of relief, releasing the tension in her shoulders, and he cooed softly at the movement. She smiled to herself and rocked her body back and forth slowly, listening to his faint gurgles as he drifted off to sleep.

She felt the soft hair on his head brush against her jaw as he stirred and she moved to caress his back again. Several minutes passed before he was completely still and she could safely assume that he was finally asleep.

She settled back into the cushioned armchair, feeling a pleasant, dizzying sleep overcome her senses just as her eyelids began to grow heavy. She briefly glanced down at Virgil, craning her neck carefully so as not to disturb him; he was still fast asleep, clutching at her neck with tiny, tender fingers.

She dropped her head back against the headrest of the couch, satisfied, and allowed sleep to overtake her senses.

Some time later she slowly became aware of a slight itching on her throat and she tilted her head to the side, her left shoulder twitching in response. This momentarily gave her some relief but she soon began to feel the same grazing on her throat again.

She let out a soft whine without realizing it and heard—or more _felt_—a low chuckle rumble into her throat. Her skin prickled and a warm flush spread throughout her neck. She furrowed her eyebrows suddenly as she realized her chest felt unusually light and her neck bare.

The hand on Virgil's back twitched instinctively and she froze as she felt her hand resting atop her own chest. Her heart tripped when she realized her baby wasn't in her arms. "Vir—" She stuttered, her eyelids flying wide open, just as a hand grabbed her chin and held her back firmly.

"Hey, everything's okay. He's with me." A hushed voice assured her, and she felt a sense of recognition instantly calm her nerves. She stared straight ahead, pupils blown wide and searching ahead of her desperately.

Gene was leaning into her face and stroking her jaw soothingly with his thumb. A slight crease on his forehead worried his features, but his eyes were cool and placating. Her eyes trailed down to his other arm, in which he was carefully cradling Virgil against his chest.

She swallowed her panic and shut her eyes briefly, feeling her stomach settle in acute relief. "Sorry," She heard Gene apologize quietly and he released his grip on her.

"What was that on my throat?" She questioned, cracking an eye open, and he chuckled again. "Couldn't resist seeing you so vulnerable." He teased, licking his lips, and she rolled her eyes, a small playing on her lips.

She inclined her head forward, leaning up slightly, and parted her lips. His lips swooped forward to catch hers in a series of heated kisses, leaving her breathless.

"You've got to—_ah_—p-put him to bed, Gene." His name escaped her lips in a rush as he moved to kiss down the sensitive part of her neck.

As if right on cue, Virgil began to wriggle in Gene's arms and he let out a loud wail. Gene paused and sighed in an indignant huff, causing Pepper to shudder involuntarily.

"All right, little guy." He moved back and shifted the child so that he was more comfortable in his arms. "I bet you want your Mom all to yourself, hm?" Gene murmured, his eyes crinkling at the corners in amusement.

Virgil's cries died down as his bleary olive green eyes settled on his father. He gurgled suddenly and opened his mouth in a wide, toothless smile. Pepper felt a rush of affection squeeze her chest as Gene beamed back at him, laughing gleefully when their son reached out at him with grabby hands.

"God, you're such a tease. You really do take after your mother," He joked, ducking his head to kiss the boy's tiny, soft fingertips. Virgil wiggled his fingers in response, trying to latch onto Gene's lips.

"Let's get you to bed." Gene mumbled, gently biting down on Virgil's chubby fingers. The boy's face immediately contorted and he wailed, as if he understood him. Gene groaned and Pepper laughed, settling her head back onto the couch.

"That's my boy."


End file.
